What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear gurus talking about how “simple” it is to start an online business or to build your home business using the internet?

Personally, that’s what pulled me in over 2 years ago, and what I cursed for months afterward!

Then I slowed down, saw some things I had been missing, and everything changed.

You see, the truth is – it is simple – success is simple – if you follow a few rules or laws for success. Also, don’t confuse “simple” with “easy.” When you choose to make a drastic change in your life and your business, you’ve failed before you even start if you think it will be easy. That kind of massive change will take work from a lot of angles. If you want the magic “easy” button, move along, go back to your job. However, if you are willing to put in a little consistent effort and follow a system, then the process really is simple. Read on…

What I found to be the biggest challenge for most newbies online is mindset – you’ve likely heard that, too. Stinkin’ Thinkin’ as some call it. Self-talk, lack of confidence, fear of failure, fear of success, bad money mojo from your childhood…. Whew! The list is endless. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what you call it, as long as you recognize it and deal with it. That’s when you embrace these laws and fasten your seat-belt on the road to success!

This story is from the book The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. The expanded edition in the link is just over 100 pages, and you can read it in one sitting. See…simple and easy!

Laws for Success – The Beginning

Our story begins with Joe, the protagonist. Joe is a “go-getter” in business, and he rose through the ranks quickly in his corporate career. He’s had more than a few challenges lately, and is really getting desperate to make something happy quickly to make is sales quote for the third quarter. One after another, his proposals and pending contracts begin coming up empty – Joe is really starting to worry about his quota, his income and his future.

He seeks the counsel of an older manager at the company who happens to know an infamous and influential business man in town. Joe believes that maybe he can convince this gentleman to endorse or support him in one of his pending contracts.

Joe meets the business man, Pindar, at his home. Pindar agrees to help Joe every day for 5 days. Joe should join him and a special “guest” each day, and Joe will learn a new lesson each day. Also, as a condition of the mentor-ship, Joe must apply the lesson before retiring that evening. He comes to realize quickly that these lessons are actually Laws for Success.

Laws for Success – The Law of Value

The first lesson arrives with a visit to a friend of Pindar’s who owns a restaurant. The restaurant is bustling! Joe learns that the owner (and chef) started with a hot dog stand. Wow – he’s come a long way! He connected with some regular customers, found this restaurant and built a small empire. Joe learns the entire enterprise was built on the concept giving VALUE to his customers. Hot dog customers got a great outdoor dining experience. Now restaurant customers get generous portions, excellent quality and outstanding service. Ernesto continued to apply The Law Of Value in his business every day. Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.

After the lesson, Joe stressed out about applying it that same day, but he managed to complete the assignment.

Laws for Success – The Law of Compensation

On the second day, Pindar introduced Joe to “The CEO.” This was such a surprising encounter that Joe was literally left speechless for a bit. The CEO of a multi-national software company had been a primary school teacher just a short time earlier. She loved her work, but had a strong desire to serve more people and help more children learn. Then Joe realizes that her software company allowed for that – in a very big way. That’s how The CEO introduced Joe to the second lesson and helped him see how important it is to see the “big picture” and look at problems as opportunities. Nicole was living proof of The Law of Compensation. Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.

Joe truly enjoyed fulfilling his assignment this evening. He took the opportunity to spend a few minutes with some of his co-workers.

Laws for Success – The Law of Influence

For the third day, Joe met “The CFO.” Sam was another friend of Pindar’s, and he knew the previous two guests as well. Sam had become very successful in his career and now held a penthouse office in the “single most success branch office of the single most successful financial services company in the world.” That’s saying something! So, the question begs asking – how? Well, Sam started out being very bad – when he was focused on himself. He turned his focus to others, and to building his network by helping others. After this, Sam got the reputation for being very fair-minded. He was often asked to mediate or negotiate for others. His spectacular success followed quickly after that. Sam helped Joe see that “Givers Attract” and introduced him to The Law of Influence. Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.

After this rather long day, Joe thought he’d actually forgotten to apply the lesson. But in the morning he realized he’d done so beautifully without hardly trying.

Laws for Success – The Law of Authenticity

The fourth day is quite exciting. Pindar takes Joe to see a special speaker in front of a large crowd. She’s very successful in real estate – and life. But, like many others, her story wasn’t always so sweet. Debra is the keynote speaker in front of a few thousand that day. In a very heart-tugging story, she shares heartbreak and struggle. On her birthday a decade earlier, her husband walked out and took her self-confidence and dignity with him. After taking a real estate licensing course, she learned a lot of closing tricks, but wasn’t having success. She was just about ready to give up when she heard Pindar speak at this same symposium a year after her husband left.

Then she talks about the day it all turned around. She was tired and felt a bit broken-down. Honestly, she had just decided it was time to quit. Time to move on and find another way. So she was just herself…her authentic self, with this client. She sold the house that day! All that work on tricks and gimmicks, and what people wanted was just her.

Joe was amazed at how easily Debra controlled the room and held everyone’s attention. He found himself drawn to her. That’s when he understood The Law of Authenticity. The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.

Again, Joe completes the assignment without really realizing he’s done it. This allows him to reflect a bit on the process of development he’s experience during this week with his new friend.

Laws for Success – The Connector

Woven into Pindar’s stories, he refers to “The Connector” as a friend who brought together several of the successful business people Joe has met during the week. It’s a great twist (and obvious on reflection) when we learn that the connector is someone Joe already knows. Someone who actually played a part in connecting Joe with Pindar in the first place! Joe realizes how amazing this experience is, and how it can change him and his life, even if not in the way he was originally hoping.

Laws for Success – The Law of Receptivity

On the last day of their lessons, Joe is surprised by the identity of the guest (you’ll just have to read the book). This lunchtime lesson begins with a great conversation with Rachel, who works for Pindar, and is a prominent character throughout the story. All of Pindar’s friends know about Rachel’s “famous” coffee, and they love it. Rachel’s story is woven into the other parts of the story, but on the last day of lessons, Joe learns how she has been busy in the background preparing for a successful future for herself. She has also learned a lot from Pindar and his friends.

As Joe and Pindar chat on this day, Joe realizes that giving and receiving are opposite sides of the same coin. We learn as children that it is better to give than receive, but they both must be present. “In fact, every giving can happen only because it is also a receiving.” In fact, if you don’t allow yourself to receive from others, you “shut down the flow” of the entire process. Joe learns how important receptivity is to achieving his goals and dreams. This is The Law of Receptivity. The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.

Laws for Success – Full Circle

I won’t give away the ending, but know that Joe did not hit his third quarter quota. He was surprisingly calm about it all.

I will say that, in the end, things worked out, of course. Joe’s success wasn’t dependent on that quota, or any client he chased that week. He held the key all the time, and just needed someone to remind him of that. In this brief story, we see how applying simple, universal laws for success helped Joe turn around his career, marriage and friendships.

Now it’s your turn. Click Here, or on any of the Laws above to download a free PDF of the 5 Simple Laws for Success.

Penny Kelley is a Professional Coach and Consultant specializing in Traffic and Lead Generation. She is passionate about helping marketers and entrepreneurs achieve ambitious goals and live their dreams. She is also a wife, mom to two great kids and one spoiled cat, wine lover and soccer fan. She intimately understands the importance of maximizing your productivity in your business and your life! How can Penny help you achieve your goals?